Speedometer gearing for steering knuckles



pu'l 8 l1924` V C. s.

Y 1,489,802 TURNER Filed April 24. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Y 1,489,802 C. S. TURNER SPEEDOMETER GEARING FOR STEERING K NUCKLES April' s,- 1924;

Filed April 24. 1922 2 sheets-sheet 2 l Fatent Ar. 194.

i S. TURNER, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

SPEEDOMETER GEARING' FOR STING KNUCKLES.

Application filed April 24, 1922. Serial No. 556,258.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES S. TURNER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing. at Detroit, 'in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Speedometer Gearings for Steering Knuckles, of which the following is a specification, referf ence being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a speedometer gearing especially designed for the steering knuckles forming part of the front axle assembly of a well known type of automobile, and unsatisfactory results have been heretofore obtained from such speedometer gear` ing on account of the manner of mounting the gearing relative to the front axle of the automobile. Since the front'wheels of the front axle must swing in an arc and since an ordinary steering knuckle affords no convenient place of mounting a gearing-it has been practical] impossible to obtain positive and relia le transmission between a front wheel and a speedometer. My inven-v tion aims to provide a strong, durable and inexpensive mounting for speedometer gearing that may be easily and quickl installed in connection with the usualy steering knuckle of a Ford automobile, the mounting at all times maintaining the gearing in an operative relation, relative to a front steering wheel irrespective of the position'pf the wheel. I 11. a

My invention further aims to provide a compact speedometer gearin mechanism that may be easily lubricate and maintained free of dirt and other foreign matter which might cause unnecessary wear and imperfect operation of a s eedometer.

My invention further airns to provide a mounting for a speedometerl gearing that` may be substituted for a portion of a steering knuckle or may be anaddition to a por- 1 tion of the steering knuckle. In either instance, the mounting has a constant relation to the steering wheel and demeshng or stripping of gears is eliminated.

rIhe construction .entering into my invention will be hereinafter specifically' described and then claimed and reference will now be had to the drawing, wherein- Figure 1 visA a vertical sectional view of the speedometer gearing relative to a steering wheel hub and steering knuckle;

Fi 2 is a horizontal sectional view of a spee ometer gearing, .illustrating a slight modification of my invention;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the same;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of a worm gearing that may be used as a transmision 'in connection with the speedometer, an

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the Same.

As showing the eedometer gearing in connection with a we l known type of front axle assembly, ll show a portion of a front axle 1 having a fork 2 for a steering knuckle 3, said steering knuckle being ordinaril held in place by a knuckle pin 4 which wi l permit of the steering-knuckle being swung in a horizontal plane in the fork 2. The steering knuckle 3 is adapted to rotatably support the hub portion 5 of a front wheel and connected to the flange 6 of the hub 5, by screw bolts 7 or other fastening means, is a large beveled gear wheel or toothed ring 8. The axis of the hub 5 intersects the vertical axis of the knuckle pin 4 and as is the usual practice the hub 5 is inclined relative to the axis of the pin 4, but the upper edge of the beveled gear wheel 8 remains constantly in a predetermined arc relative to the axis of the knuckle bolt 4, consequently any earing supported in the axis of the knuckle in 4 may constantly mesh with the bevele gear wheel'8 of the steerin wheel.

e usual Ford knuckle or king pin 4 has its head or upper end terminating at the upper arm of the fork 2 and in the preferred form of my invention, I withdraw this short knuckle pin and Substitute therefor a knuckle or king pin 9 of greater length so that its upper portion 10 may extend above the fork. 1t is held in such position by a collar 11 on the pin bearing on the fork 2 and the extreme upper end of the pin 9 is ,reduced to form a shoulder 12 and receive gear w eel being on the upper end of they hub 14. The lower face o the large gear wheel 15 is recessed, as at 17, to provide of the portion 10 of the pin 9 or t tension member 27, vision so that a speedometershaft mg maintained with the accommodates the lubricant cup.

of the gear housing 18. The sha clearance for the collar 11 and the large gear wheel may freely revolve on the upper portion of the pin 9.

Supported onthe shoulder 12 of the pin and retained thereon by the nut 13 is a gear housing 18 having its lower wall provided with an opening 19 into which the hub 14 of the compound gear wheel extends. The housing 18 has a detachable plate or wall 20 rovided with a bearing 21 for a gear sha 22 on the inner end of which is mounted a beveled ear wheel 23 meshin with the small beved gear wheel 16. n the outer end of the gear shaft 22 is `a conventional form of coupling 24 for a flexible speedometer shaft 25. This shaft is also of a conventional form and has its liexible casin connected to the bearing 21 by a ca 26. he speedometer shaft 25 is adapted to extend to an ordinary speedometer or any other speed indicating instrument that may be actuated from one of the front steerin wheels of an automobile.

-eference will now be had to Figs. 2 and 3. Instead of removing the usual Ford knuckle or king pin, I may provide the upper end of such pin with an extension member 27 that will serve the same purpose as the upper portion 10 of the pin 9.- These Ford pins are usually provided with lubricant cups 28 and the extension member 27 may be mounted in the usual openingrthat hen, such cups may be placed on the upper end e u per end of the extension member 27. InsItead of using exactly the same type of compound gear, I may use a gear having a long hub 28 with a small beveled gear wheel 29 mounted on its upper end to mesh with the beveled gear wheel 23, and instead of attaching the etachable late 20 to the housing 18 by screw threads, I may set said plate in the housing and secure it in place lby a screw 30 or other fastening means. There .is also another change that I may make as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 showing the compound gear as including a worm 31 meshing with a worm wheel 32 on a shaft 33, journaled in an offset ortion 34 33 is disposed with its axis in a plane at a right angle to the axis of the pin 9 or the pin exand said shaft has promay be' coupled thereto.

In all instances the ar housing 18 is held stationary with the aveled gear wheels or transmission mechanism revolving there- 1n and driven by the large ear wheel 15 meshing with ,the gear whee or ring 8 of the automobile wheel. the manner of mounti the gear housing permits of a constant living relation beautomobile wheel It is apparent that messa so that its speed may be transmitted to a speedometer or other speed indicatingI instrument.

I attach considerable importance to the fact that my caring may be quickly installed on For cars now in use to permit of a speedometer being used, andv while in the drawings there are illustrated the referred embodiments of my invention, 1t is to be understood that the structural elements are susceptible to such changes, in size, shape and manner of assemblage as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. In gearing for driving wherein a Gear is driven by a carried by a dirigible wheel of the vehicle, with the driven gear havin its axis alined with the axis of the knuck e formation for the wheel, and wherein the driven gear is operably connected by gearing with the flexible connection leading to the indicatin mechanism, means operative to house an support the gearing, said means including a ub carried by and integral wlth the driven gear, a support for the gearassembly, said support being axially alined with the axis of the knuckle formation, said support having a shoulder, and a housing havlng its top wall supported by said shoulder, and clamped thereon by a nut, said housing having dimensions such as to house the connecti gearing, the hub of the driven geen exten mg into the bottom of the housing to form a wall portion thereof and being active to prevent lateral movement of the bottom of the housing relative to the axis of rotation of the gear.

2. Gearing as in claim 1 characterized in that the driven gear hub is elongated axially and formed with zonal portions dier.- ing in diameter, a zonal portion of smaller diameter carrying a gear member of the connecting gearing. l

3. Gearing as in claim 1, characterized in that the driven gear hub is elongated axially and formed with zonal portions diering in diameter, a zonal portion of smaller diameter carrying integral gear teeth, active in the connecting caring, such zonal portion being positionedz below the axis of the (zo-operating gear element of such connectin gearing.

4. Ggearing as in claim 1, characterized in that the housing is provided with a removable side wall,- said wall forming a support and bearing for a stub shaft extendin into the housing at substantially lright ang es to the axis of the driven gear and having its inner end carrying a member of the connectmg anng. f

Y 5. n A gearing for driving indicators a gear is driven by a drivegear by a dirigible wheelof the vehicle indicators,

carried drive gear with the driven gear having its axis alined with the axis f the knuckle formation for the Wheel, and wherein the driven gear is an extension of the pin, of the knuckle formation projecting above thefork of such formation, said extension forming a continuation of the pinand havin a shoulder spaced from the to of the for a housing supported by and c amped onsaid shoulder, said housing having dimensions to receive the connecting gearing of the gear assembly, said driven gear having an integral hub extending into the bottom of the housing to form a wall Vportion of the housing bottom and serve to prevent lateral movement of the lower portion of the housing relative to the axis of the drum gear, said 'driven gear having a recess on its under face, said pin extension carryin an enlargement be- ,tween the bottom of t e gear recess and the' top of the fork. f

6. Gearing as in claim characterized in that the hub portion of the driven gear carries a ear face within the housing with the overaligy diameter of said face less than the dismeter of the wall forming portion of the hu A In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES s. TURNER.

Witnesses:

ANNA M. Dorm, KARL H B.. 

